Pharmacy Fitout

We work with you on all design elements, typically dedicating initial sessions to understanding your business, services, preferred equipment, and workflow. Studying your tenancy’s existing features plays a vital role in this process. From sizes and ceiling heights to available services, we analyse the space for its best potential while carefully considering restrictions to minimise future risks and disappointments. We consult about your budget and seek design solutions aligned with your expectations.

Yes. A compact-sized pharmacy should allow staff to move effortlessly, access equipment safely, and maintain clear visibility of the store and back area (sometimes required by regulations). We prioritise ergonomic workflows to reduce fatigue and enhance productivity. We advocate for a work-zone triangle where pharmacists can reach most-used equipment within this defined zone, creating ergonomic spaces that avoid unnecessary bending or reaching for step ladders. If not addressed, tiredness and unhappiness at work directly lower your team’s productivity and will affect business revenue. Theft and errors by unsupervised staff can be costly to the business. Contact us today if you want to design a successful ergonomic pharmacy where your business will be thriving for years to come.

This is by far the most common request we receive in the pharmacy business. Whether you want to add a professional consultation room for specific services, a small booth for quick consultations, or more working space for dose administration aids (DAA) at the back of your pharmacy, we help to ensure your new service area is compliant with regulations and designed for this new service to bring money back to your business.

We’ve made it our mission to help you maximise your floor space, allowing you to add new services or more retail space without making visitors feel cramped or creating traffic conflicts. You’ll find we give honest advice about your existing tenancy, potential conflicts, and whether adding shelving or service areas might make your space harder to navigate. We’re always looking for quality shelving solutions that let you comfortably and ergonomically display more products.

Yes, you can trust us with the balance and artistry of your pharmacy fitout and shopfront. We use the latest technology to provide stunning renders and walkthroughs, so you can see in advance how your project will look. We find this special service helps our clients make important decisions about colours, materials, finishes and overall layout. Often, we can make colour adjustments right before your eyes during our in-person or online meetings.

Yes, we design and document shopfronts and surrounding shop areas. We are lucky that our team is led by a skilled building designer who is experienced in designing commercial and residential facades across Australia. We often involve our graphic and signage specialists to ensure your business signage is integrated in the shopfront. You can rely on us to work with your council towards the planning permit, when required due to alterations to the facade.

Yes, we provide separate services whether you need labels, directional/wayfinding signs, evacuation route markers, emergency signs, or business identification graphics for your store. Shopfront signs are integral to our shopfront design. We believe signage isn’t an afterthought - it’s integral to your business identity. A well-balanced sign transforms your shopfront from "seen" to "unforgettable". At Design Yard 32, we collaborate with trusted signage consultants, graphic designers, and installers to guide your choices. Let’s design right from the ground up.

Our design response varies depending on applicable state authorities and other factors. Generally, we handle all design aspects to align with local state regulations, which vary across states. We provide complete drawing packages for submission to the VPA, NSW Pharmacy Council, Queensland Health, Pharmacy Registration Board of Western Australia, or SA Health (formerly PRASA). We encourage clients to be involved in pharmacy design from day one, to know their future pharmacy intimately and explain the workflow we design together to authorities. Factors like pharmacy location, nature of dispensed products, specific services, or staff numbers and qualifications can affect authority feedback. We stay with you throughout the process, refining the proposed design with your state authority until reaching the perfect solution.

Building permits and fitout certifications are generally required for most healthcare, laboratory, and pharmacy fitouts. Constructing new walls and ceilings affects existing structures, fire safety, emergency exits, and services, which triggers building permit requirements. Our team and consultants stay current with the latest construction codes, so you can rely on us to identify regulations applicable to your tenancy and business type at all design stages.

Our full-service package includes:

• Stage 1. Initial Concept: Design briefing, tenancy analysis (assets & regulations), fitout-approval requirements, proposed layout

• Stage 2. Concept Development: Pharmacy submission package for your state authority

• Stage 3. Design Development: Full-colour designs, high-tech visualisations, virtual walkthrough

• Stage 4. Tender Drawings: For builder pricing and building-authority approvals

• Stage 5. Construction Drawings & Support: Detailed drawings plus on-site support

You will receive detailed information about each stage’s inclusions and what to expect.

Additional services (as required):

• Planning-permit drawings, reports & council submissions

• Shopfront design, approvals & detailing

• Signage design

Consultant support (as required):

• Structural engineering

• Mechanical engineering & HVAC solutions

• Energy-efficiency reports

We will be happy to recommend one of our responsible and verified fitout builders, who can easily quote your fitout based on our drawings. We have been working with fitout teams on projects in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland. When your pharmacy is in a remote location, we offer to work out a solution with cabinet and retail shelving suppliers, who can ship the flat-pack cabinets to your location.

This is very common among both new and established pharmacists trying new locations. As business owners ourselves, we understand the pressures of starting anew. Having organically worked through several budget projects, we’ve established supplier relationships and solutions that achieve significant reductions in overall fitout costs.

Yes. All Australian manufacturers of therapeutic goods must hold a TGA manufacturing licence. The licence is based on compliance with the PIC/S GMP Guide, which sets the standards for facility design, equipment, processes, and quality systems.

Many pharmaceutical and sterile products must be manufactured in controlled environments. Cleanrooms are designed to minimise contamination and must meet requirements under the PIC/S GMP Guide, ISO 14644 standards, and TGA guidance for pharmacy compounding.

Design begins with assigning GMP grades (A, B, C, D) to each area depending on the activity performed. These grades set requirements for zoning, airflow, and cleanliness. HVAC systems, HEPA filtration, and pressure control are built into the design and validated to meet those requirements.

Layouts are designed to separate personnel and material flows, reducing the risk of cross-contamination. Surfaces and finishes must be smooth, durable, and easy to clean, with no joints or ledges where particles could collect.

A risk-based approach is used. High-risk processes, such as sterile manufacturing, require stricter design measures, more intensive monitoring, and additional controls. The design balances compliance with efficiency and workflow.

Cleanrooms rely on purpose-designed services, such as purified water, clean steam, and controlled air systems. These utilities, along with HVAC, lighting, and security features, are integrated into the design to support compliance.

Once complete, cleanrooms are qualified and undergo environmental monitoring. This includes validation of airflow, pressure, and cleanliness to confirm the space continues to meet required standards.

Spaces for gowning, airlocks, and material transfer are planned from the outset. The layout must support cleaning routines, controlled personnel flows, and regulatory expectations for higher-risk compounding and manufacturing activities.

One-off compounding for a prescription is treated differently from batch production. Once compounding scales into commercial supply, the activity is classed as manufacturing and requires a TGA licence, along with full GMP-compliant cleanroom design.